Few days ago, several media organisations reported how an aircraft passenger, Darren Harrison, with no flying experience landed a private Cessna Caravan aircraft at an airport in Florida, United States, after the pilot suffered a medical condition.
Harrison landed the plane with the assistance of radioed instructions from an air traffic controller. This act is referred to as talk-down aircraft landing.
What would you do if your pilot suddenly collapses when you are onboard a plane? Would you panic, would you pray, or would you be bold enough to land the aircraft?
Below are five other times passengers with no or little flying experience have landed an aircraft.
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In August 2000, a passenger of a single-engine Piper Cherokee, Henry Anhalt, had to take over the controls of the plane after the family’s pilot, Kristopher Pearce, collapsed.
Anhalt managed to land the plane safely at Winter Haven airport with radio talk-down assistance from a flight instructor. He landed safely with his wife, and their three sons, although the aircraft was damaged on landing.
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In April 2009, the pilot of a twin-engine turboprop Beechcraft King Air, Joe Cabuk, collapsed and died while flying from Marco Island, Florida to Jackson, Mississippi.
A passenger, Doug White, who said though had his pilot’s license but had never flown a plane as large as this, took over control after the pilot died, and managed to land the plane safely.
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In April 2012, an 80-year-old-woman, Helen Collins, had to land a twin-engine Cessna 414 aircraft after her husband, John Collins, who is also the pilot lost consciousness while flying in Wisconsin.
She was able to crashland the plane without any serious injury with the help of air traffic controllers. Her husband did not survive his medical emergency.
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In October 2013, the pilot of a Cessna 172 aircraft became ill while flying from Skegness, Lincolnshire, England and his 77-year-old passenger, John Wildey, had to control the plane for over an hour and landed it safely at Humberside Airport under instruction from air traffic controllers, two flying instructors, and the crew of a Westland Sea King helicopter.
The pilot was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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On August 31, 2019, a 29-year-old trainee pilot, Max Sylvester, on his first flying lesson in a two-seater Cessna 152, landed the aircraft undamaged at Jandakot Airport, Perth, Western Australia after his instructor, Robert Mollard, lost consciousness. Sylvester was able to land the plane safely with the assistance of an air traffic controller and an instructor via radio.
According to reports, there is no record of a talk-down landing of a large commercial aircraft, although, there have been incidents where qualified pilots travelling as passengers or flight attendants on commercial flights have taken the co-pilot’s seat to assist the pilot.
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Different times passengers with no flying experience landed aircraft
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